7th August, 2015
Funsho Arogundade
The second phase of Star Music Trek 2015, which kicked off at the IBB Square in Makurdi, Benue State on Saturday 1 August featured epic performances by some of the biggest names in Nigerian music including 2Face, MI, Faze, Yemi Alade, KCee, Runtown, Dj Neptune, DJ Tony Blaze and host Gbenga Adeyinka.
The show, sponsored by STAR lager, kicked off at 8pm with several thousand of fans swarming into the IBB Square arena. Host Gbenga Adeyinka warmed up the crowd alongside DJ Neptune and Tony Blaze who created a carnival-like atmosphere.
The show kicked off with some amazing performances from upcoming local talents who were given the opportunity to perform on such a large stage as part of the commitment by Star to give everyone a platform to shine.
Dance crew Tythanz then started the party in earnest with an eye-popping dance medley, which ended with Jo El’s popular single “Oya Now” setting up a surprise cameo appearance of the Kennis Music star. This got one of the loudest cheers of the night.
Next came Runtown who made an energetic debut on the Star Music Trek 2015, keeping the party moving with scintillating rendition of his singles ‘Gallardo’, ‘Successful’, ‘The Banger’, ‘Bend Down Pause’ and of course the audience favourite ‘The Latest’. The fast rising singer left the stage for KCee, who delivered an enthralling 30-minute performance. In addition to pulsating performances of his hit singles including ‘Pullover’, ‘Limpopo’, ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘Your Face’, the Limpopo master gave out N70,000 to two lucky audience members after an impromptu dance contest.
Then came one of the loudest moments of the night as the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards Best Female Act winner, Yemi Alade made a grand entrance with the smash hit ‘Taking Over Me’. This was followed by renditions of the popular “Johnny’, ‘Kissing’, ‘Na God’, ‘Tangerine’ and a number of other successful singles off her award winning debut album.
With the crowd still recovering from this typically energetic performance, DJ Neptune and Tony Blaze then put on a show of their own, whipping the audience into a frenzy with an impromptu dance-off of their own.
Next to take the stage was ex-Plantashun Boiz band member Faze who was given a very warm welcome by the hometown crowd of former band mate 2Face. It was a big onstage reunion for the two great acts. Faze later thrilled the crowd with his performances of ‘Kolomental,’ ‘My brother’ and ‘Originality’.
Rap star MI was the next big act to storm the stage in a haze of smoke and flashing lights and the crowd promptly went berserk. Out came the hits: ‘Monkey’, ‘Beef’, ‘Bullion Van’ and finally the ever-popular ‘African Rapper Number One’. The rap superstar then spotted a fan reciting his lyrics perfectly and called him onstage. MI took off his Gold MK watch and handed it over to the amazed fan while the crowd went ballistic.
“I had a lot of fun out here in Makurdi and I have to give it up to Star not only for bringing my colleagues and I close to the fans like this, but also for giving these talented upcoming acts such a big platform to showcase their art,” MI remarked after his performance.
And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for as homeboy and folk hero 2Face finally made his appearance onstage. Quickly he launched into his considerable catalogue of hits with songs like ‘Rainbow’, ‘Implication’, ‘One love’, ‘African Queen’, ‘I Hate What You Did You Did To Me’ and several others.
When it seemed that the noise level at the venue could not get any higher, 2Face then called up erstwhile band mate Faze in what became the moment of the night. Together, the two former Plantashun Boiz took the crowd a generation back.
“I am very grateful to Star not only for the opportunity to feature on Star Music Trek 2015, but also for bringing me to my fans at home. You saw how much love I got out there. It was one of my most emotional performances ever. Tonight is a memory I will treasure for a long time,” 2Face said.
Also commented on the concert, Edem Vindah, Corporate Media & Brand PR Manager, NB Plc, said: “This year’s theme “My Superstar Story” is perfectly captured by what we saw out here tonight. The fans who turned out here tonight have seen a hometown hero who left this city all those years ago. Tonight he came back as a global megastar. This is what young Nigerians are capable of and this is the message Star is proud to promote through this vehicle.”
The nationwide concert tour which has thrilled Nigerian music fans for nearly two decades has a tradition of bringing the country’s biggest artists together to thrill fans around the country and this year’s theme, “My Superstar Story” aims to inspire the youth to view their situations as a work in progress and to always keep their goals in mind.
Following the success of the Makurdi gig, the 2015 Star Music Trek next train will be Sapele, Delta State on Saturday 8 August. From there, it will be turn of Auchi, Edo State on 15 August, Ibadan on 22 August and grand concert in Lagos on 29 August.